With classes coming to an end many college graduates will soon be faced with the inevitable task of repaying their student loans. In some cases this can amount to a rather difficult task based on the amounts involved. Perhaps you are one of these students facing a large amount of debt to repay back. Fortunately, there are some ways to relieve yourself of this financial strain and burden by utilizing a student loan debt consolidation program or plan.

Just in case you need a quick refresher course, college students are able to obtain two different types of financial aid in order to pay for their college tuition. The first is a government loan that is administered by the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Program. This is a very popular choice for many students and generally speaking is an easier loan to pay off with a student loan debt consolidation plan.

The second form of financial aid utilized by a financially struggling college student is a basic private student loan. This loan is readily obtained from any lending institution and as you can imagine the rates charged during the payback period of this loan are substantially higher then a regular federal student loan. Unfortunately, the higher rates also make it more difficult to qualify for a student loan debt consolidation program when compared to the government-backed loan.

As I'm sure you know a standard debt consolidation loan is normally used to pay off all of your current outstanding debt by tabulating it all into one lump sum. In some cases you can enlist the help of a debt consolidation specialist who will negotiate on your behalf in order to obtain more favorable rates in the event you're unable to obtain enough funds to pay off your entire financial obligation.

As someone who has been around the financial aid office on a college campus I can confidently tell you that the financial aid worker will be able to help you search for a local bank or lending institution that will be able to readily support a student loan debt consolidation plan. Keep in mind that this loan is only for consumers that are no longer attending college. There are some additional constraints such as you can't be late on any previous payments and the original student loan must be in excess of $10,000. Failure to meet these minimum criteria will result in the student loan not being eligible to be part of your debt consolidation loan.

As mentioned earlier college students that obtain their funding through the use of a private loan will find that the stipulations regarding its consolidation are not quite as strict as a government sponsored federal student loan. With the interest rates normally higher on a private loan it only makes sense to seek out a student loan debt consolidation plan that will offer better rates and lower monthly payments.